North Korea Claims 'Denuclearization Should Be Applied First' to US Allies and NATO

North Korea argued today (July 11) that "the concept of denuclearization should be applied first to the nuclear armament ambitions of Japan and South Korea, which are entering extremely dangerous stages under the active protection of the United States, and to the nuclear confrontation ambitions of NATO member states that share U.S. nuclear weapons."

The North Korean Foreign Ministry made the statement in a spokesperson's commentary released through the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) today, asserting, "The 'denuclearization' claims by the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, which have completely lost their relevance to the times and realistic possibility, cannot have any impact on the status of our state."

This response comes as North Korea pushes back against the mention of the North Korean threat during the recent NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, and the reaffirmation of the principle of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula by the foreign ministers of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan during the same period.

Previously, the foreign ministers of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan held a meeting in Ankara on July 7, where they agreed to continue close coordination on North Korea policy, including responding to the North's illegal cyber activities. They also agreed to continue efforts to maintain peace and stability while upholding the principle of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The Foreign Ministry also claimed that NATO should have "perished with the end of the Cold War," adding, "The provocative moves of NATO, which are systematically worsening the security environment in Europe and shifting the blame to other countries while creating instability in the Asia-Pacific region, can never be overlooked."

Furthermore, echoing the claims of Russia, which invaded Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry criticized NATO by stating that it has "systematically worsened the security environment in Europe through reckless eastward expansion and increased support for neo-Nazi forces, while shifting the responsibility to other countries."

The Foreign Ministry asserted the legitimacy of its military buildup, stating, "The reckless acts of confrontational forces, which are creating structural threats to the global security dynamics with every passing moment, provide realistic justification for the renewal and expansion of our physical deterrent."

(Photo: Provided by the Turkish Presidency, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.